LOS ANGELES (OC).–Iran’s Yemen-based Houthi rebels lashed out with missile and drone strikes on the Barbados-flagged general cargo ship owned by a British company, damaging the vessel, making shipping lanes in the Red Sean unsafe again. Israel responded immediately with air strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidad port, some 90 miles south of Sanaa. After President Donald Trump ordered air strikes on Houthi headquarters in mid-March, the air strikes ended in April with the White House agreeing to some kind of deal with the Houthis. Houthis claimed they would strike only Israeli-flagged tankers and cargo ships, but after striking any Western company that comes through the Red Sea heading for crossing in Egypt’s Suez canal. Obviously there’s some kind of communication breakdown with Houthis leaders, returning to attacks in the Red Sea. Trump and Netanyahu will plot strategy today.
Sunday’s attack on the Barbados-flagged cargo ship was the first in months, certainly since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran ended June 24, leaving Iran’s military in shambles. When Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ended the conflict, it’s clear that he deferred to his Houthi militia group to keep the war going. Between Nov. 2023 and Feb. 2024, there were dozens of attacks on maritime shipping through the Red Sea. Any attempt by Houthis to blame the attacks on the Gaza conflict is a feeble excuse, when the Ayatollah attempts to reassert dominance after a humiliating defeat to Israel over the 12-day war. Netanyahu exposed for all to see that Iran’s military was defenseless, letting Israeli war planes pick their targets without any resistance. Houthi actions in the Red Sea is clearly relating to the Ayatollah trying to redeem himself after a bitter defeat.
Sunday’s attacks had Houthi swift-boats swarming the freighter and hitting it with rocket propelled grenades. Al Akhbar, pro-Iranian Lebanese media outlet, said two unmanned aerial vehicles collided with the side of the ship,” making it sound like it was unintended. Yet the Houthi Leader Abdel-Mallik Al-Houthi said they have “firm position degree of support of the Palestinian people and its commitment to the option of confrontation against the Israeli occupation and America,” showing his group remains at war with Israel and the U.S. Trump hit the Houthis hard back in March and may have to repeat past attack to get the message out that Abdel-Mallik Al-Houthi will pay a draconic price for interfering with commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Trump could agree with Netanyahu to resume bombing to strike Houthi military installations especially the port of Hodeidah
Without too much interpretation, it looks like the Ayatollah decided to have his Houthi henchman lash in the Red Sea, disrupting commercial shipping. Circumventing the Suez Canal could takes weeks longer and cost shipping companies millions in extra costs. No freight company can afford to get their ships attacked by Iran’s Houth rebels but, more importantly, impede global shipping lanes for international commerce. Trump must take action because whatever Israel can do, the U.S. has more firepower to hit the Houthi regime. Whatever lesson they learned in March, it obviously didn’t last, requiring Trump to take more action. “No matter the challenges, difficulties, extent of sacrifices, level of blame, pressure and media attack over the past two weeks,” Al-Houthi sounds like he has not intent of stoping attacking in international shipping in the Red Sea.
British shipping companies have been hurt financially by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, forcing navigation around the Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal. “A cargo ship in the Red Sea suffered minor damage after being hit by a projectile while sailing off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeidah,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency and British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday. Iran and its Houthi proxy group cannot be allowed to terrorize global shipping in the Red Sea. Iran wanted to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf during the 12-day War with Israel. Ayatollah got the message that any attempt to do so would be met with a direct attack on mullah headquarters in Tehran. Trump told Ayatollah he knew his whereabouts and could at anytime take him out. If Ayatollah keeps pushing, it could happen.
Trump and Netanyahu have bigger fish to fry that what goes on in Gaza. When it comes to Hamas, there’s little left of the once heavily armed terrorist group. Moving to Yemen’s Houthis or Iraq Ketaib Hezbollah, the Ayatollah thinks he has options to restore his lost credibility. After 12 days of war with Israel the world saw Iran as defenseless to Israeli pinpoint air strikes targeting much on Iran’s military infrastructure. Now that the war’s over with Israel, it’s back to the same old proxy groups to do the Ayatollah’s business. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations [UKMTO] was informed that its cargo ship incurred physical damage from Houthi attacks on July 6. Trump isn’t about to let the Al-Houthi off the hook, after striking a deal in March to end attacks on commercial shipping. Look for the Pentagon to launch new strikes on Houthi headquarters and port operations.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
